 A 25-year-old British human rights worker and her parents have been freed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. A previously unknown group calling itself Brigades of the Mujahideen-Jerusalem said it seized Kate Burton, her father Hugh and mother Helen to demand British and European pressure on Israel, and freed them as a gesture of goodwill.
| Wasn't kidnapping them kinda the antithesis of good will? |
The Burtons passed through Gaza City briefly before being whisked away towards Israel in diplomatic cars with darkened windows. "They are well and in good spirits. They are currently with officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem," said a statement from the British Foreign Office. "She was not hurt, her parents were okay and she plans to visit Gaza next week," said Adnan Hajjar, a colleague of Burton's. "Kate said she was sorry that she could not make it to the hotel to greet everybody."
| Afraid she was gonna take another trip in somebody's trunk? |
In a video released to media, a masked gunman read out a message standing next to Kate Burton, who appeared with her hands behind her back. "We have decided to pardon the three Britons as a gesture of goodwill in return for a seriousness in answering our demands," the gunman said.
| Somebody gave them money, I guess... |
The political demands and Islamist tone of the captors were a marked departure from previous kidnappings in the Gaza Strip, whose perpetrators tended to be seeking jobs or the release of prisoners, and set free their hostages within hours. The fact the kidnappers made no contact for two days had raised concerns for the Britons' safety. |